Even if one isn’t a Christian, Rubio said, “I believe it is an indisputable truth that Jesus of Nazareth was the most influential person who ever lived. He had no money, he had no political power, he had no army. Didn’t even have an Instagram account….He led a counter-cultural revolution that ended up overthrowing the most powerful empire in the world.”

Two millennia later, Rubio said, “My advice to you is to rebel against our modern culture and embrace instead the one that has changed the world.”

Rubio told the graduates that following his advice would be difficult.

“The values that (Jesus) both taught and modeled are as unpopular today as they were in his time. Frankly it is something I struggle with and admit to not always getting right. After all, I’m in a line of work where I need at least more than half the people to like me. And I’m in this line of work at a time when so many people — sadly even those who confess to being followers of Jesus — reject many of the things he taught,” Rubio said.

“The more someone lives like Jesus, the more they exhibit true love,” said Rubio. Echoing Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, Rubio also mentioned patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as Christian attributes at odds with modern culture.

“It’s a culture where we increasingly separate ourselves from our neighbors, from our lifelong friends and even from family because of who they voted for or what they believe in,” Rubio said.

“This is the broader culture that, sadly, you inherit, but it does not have to be the culture you live in and it does not have to be the culture you leave behind,” Rubio said. “And so I ask you once again, rebel. Refuse to conform to this. It will most definitely change the course of your life. And if by some chance it catches on others copy you, then who knows, it may even end up changing and saving our country and saving and changing the world.”